Stanley Zir
What is the role of America in the world today?
By Stanley Zir
"Where there is no vision, the people perish.' Proverbs 29:18
What can be worse than losing your personal identity? If you don't know who you are, then neither do you know for what you stand nor with whom. Now, imagine the same situation, but instead of an individual loss of identity, it is an entire nation and the loss is its collective identity. When that nation is America, the leader of the free world, then who will be left to keep the lamp of liberty lit while there are so many others determined to extinguish it?
This is exactly what happened to the citizens of the United States under Obama's watch. Americans have become the victims of identity theft, questioning who they are as a people and what is the mission of their great nation. Further, because of this uncertainty and confusion, their outlook for the future is bleak and uncertain.
As The Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said, "With so much at stake, the American people deserve a clear picture of what we believe. Personalities come and go, but principles endure. Ideas endure; ready to inspire generations yet to be born."
This month, both front runners will be holding their conventions to kick off their final campaigns for the November elections. Foremost on the American mind is our immediate security and safety at home and abroad. These candidates need to present a comprehensive strategy on combating rampant terrorism that is filling us with fear and desperation. The details between the candidates will no doubt be different, whether one prefers to deal with terrorists on the ground or by air or with collaboration from other nations. However the strategy, the basis for dealing with terrorists comes from one common source. As our Founding Father George Washington declared, "The Constitution is the guideline I will never abandon."
In November, the winner of this election will swear to protect the Constitution of the United States of America from both enemies foreign and domestic. Each new President not only is sworn to protect the nation, but he or she becomes the steward to carry on the same original mission as our very first President and all those that came afterwards. Contained within the Constitution is the definitive and iron-clad basis from which all decisions regarding policy stems. It is the DNA of our country. Imagine having the genetic code that, when signaled of an impending violation or threat, signals the cell to raise an impenetrable shield, eternally protecting it from any outside "virus" intending to destroy it.
That is our Constitution and the rule of law entrenched within which our our visionary Forefathers created to do exactly that, protect us from any threat, domestic or foreign bent on eliminating our rights and freedom, knowing that it would always be these unique rights that would be the target that riles our enemies.
Withstanding times of war and unrest, it is this rule of law that America will always stand with against powers that threaten us with tyranny. It is essential that all Americans, especially our elected officials, understand this very simple and basic concept. Our unwavering stand against tyranny in all forms is the safeguard of our freedom and remains our mission in the world.
While other free nations are extremely important and remain collaborators in this mission, America remains exceptional amongst them because of this rule of law. We keep hearing about the "rule of law" but it must be clarified because many people don't quite understand its meaning and its significance. It is the Constitution stance against absolute tyranny that is the Rule of Law and that makes us exceptional amongst the nations. It protects our freedoms from those who would use God's name, the state's or both to deny people all their inalienable rights. In her academic paper, Judge Eliza B. Yu wrote, "The rule of law can serve as a safeguard against tyranny, because just laws ensure that rulers do not become corrupt."
Our Presidents and leaders must use the Constitution as their sextant when navigating through the stormy seas of despots and tyrants whose intention is to destroy our freedoms and way of life. Without the Constitution as the primary guide, no matter how well-intentioned our leaders may be, the only possible result will be to veer off course and shipwrecked on the shores of tyranny whose rule of law is repression, oppression and inequality.
Our Founding Fathers had no tolerance for those who embraced tyranny because it is diametrically opposed to everything that makes America exceptional. In fact, is was their solid and united commitment to the "freedom from tyranny" which caused them to declare war against the British, in the first place. The rest is American History.
It is very clear and very simple. We are the defenders of liberty, not the negotiating partners for world peace with tyrants and fascists, who stand for dominance and absolute power.
We stand on the precipice of electing a new Commander and Chief in an era of growing global instability, yet there is still no unifying consensus of clarity in our foreign policy. Why is that? The guideline is right in front of us, the very document the new Commander swears to uphold.
Our Domestic policy is designed to keep us free from the forces of tyranny from within. Our foreign policy alerts nations around the globe that we treasure our freedoms and will fight to maintain them, standing strongly against those who challenge them on our soil or around the world. Therefore, our foreign policy must be clear, consistent and resolute, reflecting the Constitution's stance against tyranny, it's rule of law.
How can it be otherwise? Liberty and tyranny can not coexist. They are intolerant of each other. It may be the only two kinds of rules that are clearly black and white. You can't be a tyranny offering a little bit of liberty, nor can a free country have a smidgen of fascists in its leadership. One system sustains freedom and the other one clearly supports submission. One supports an open market of ideas, the other persecution for dissent. One achieves peace and unity through a democratic and constitutional balance of power, while the other disparages these virtues through absolute subjugation of the human spirit to the will of the most ruthless contender for power.
So, how could it not be more obvious that tyranny is the root cause of the global conflict we are now facing all around the globe? Tyrannies have but one objective, which is world domination. The loss of people's freedom is written into their constitutions that place absolute power of the state over any individual right (or dignity) in order to serve some "greater good." That is their rule of law. Again to point out, in total opposition to our Constitution which holds individual rights above all and as our Declaration of Independence further defines those rights as life, liberty and happiness.
To the naysayers who contend that it is not America's job to be the world's top cop, or that the Founding Fathers had no intention for America to be the defender of the free world, I say ponder this. It was not just any Republic that they created, but one that honored the individual's right to defend themselves from state-issued tyranny and, with that, the conflict was set in motion between our new nation and those that embraced totalitarian systems of oppression.
Our history has validated this notion and with it, our nation's destiny. A nation whose documents of freedom were incompatible with slavery purged itself of this evil in the Civil War. In the twentieth century, we were repeatedly drawn into the world's great conflicts in order to defend liberty, and America answered the call.
The malfunction of tyrannies in Germany and Japan and the collapse of the Soviet Union were characterized by economies that replaced competition and free exchange with confiscation and redistribution, which resulted in the destruction of wealth. The underlying ideologies, achieving their goal through the sacrifice of individual expression were fully exposed with their defeat in the war on democracy as the world moved towards greater transparency.
Is it not an unfathomable achievement that after centuries of tyranny, since the birth of our nation, 123 electoral democracies arose in so short a span of time? That means 58.2% of the world's population in 123 of the 192 existing countries in the world, now embrace democracy.
Who dares shun our nation's noble cause? Who dares cede victory to those who would destroy us and deny us our freedoms? There are those who say America's foreign policy should not be one of nation-building I respectively disagree If those if those who are determined to replace our Democratic Constitutional Republic with their own brand of nation-building, called Islamic and secular tyranny, why are our own leaders not more determined to permanently put out of business those nations whose constitutions honor the subjugation of the human spirit?
Last we have been falsely led to believe we don't have the money and resources to fight against our enemies. We have been told that we must first get our financial house in order, strengthen our infrastructures and then we can act as the leader of the free world. Or better – we should wait for our next President to take office in another six months. Really? Do you think Iran is holding off on any "foreign" actions, especially ones that would seal the fate of our Democratic ally, Israel or any free nation around the world, waiting for some future, more convenient date? Maybe we should just tell them, "Listen Mr. Mullah, we are having a little financial problem here on the homefront. We are a little strapped for cash right now and have shifted our priority for the time being to building our economy and job networks. As soon as we get some of this under control, we'll get back into the swing of things. So would you mind just holding off on the whole nuclear weapon things, for a little while?
Sure, negotiating with terrorists always works out just fine! What do we want our legacy to be?.Spreading liberty and ending tyranny in this world was no longer financially feasible. Balderdash it is our mission and must be our very first priority. The threat of nuclear jihad is very real and we are seeing it evolve to greater heights almost on a daily basis.
The formula for prosperity for our nation has remained constant through the best and worst of times. The only thing that makes our dollar the universal currency is perception. It is the world's belief that America's unyielding stance against fascism at home and abroad has kept the free markets and the entrepreneurial spirit alive. It is that, and that alone, which makes our dollar strong under any circumstances.
It is also why we must protect America from the assault of those who falsely claim we cannot afford to actively confront fascism when it rears its ugly head. The ramifications of this misstep would be devastating.
When we compromise our core values, we would be overrun by the demands of tyrannies and fascists, which will then finish us financially no matter what steps we take to address the debt issue. Having the courage to stand against the absolute power of tyranny is the shortest route to free our nation from Iran's oil strangle-hold and get America out from under the debt created by Obama's domestic policies.
If our politicians can no longer articulate what America stands for, then we have to ask, why were they elected? If they no longer believe that America's stance against global tyranny is her most important mandate, then why take an oath to uphold the Constitution? What hope do the American people have to make America great again, and even more, exceptional among the nations?
In every war there comes a tipping point that determines the eventual outcome of the conflict. For America, in our global war against terrorism, this moment has arrived. We only have to turn on our TV each day to see the aggression of fanatical Islam coming closer and closer. We can stick our heads in the sand, but that won't stop the fact that Iran is securing deadly nuclear power and will very shortly become an established (and irreversible) nuclear armed state. It is within reach and the survival of our liberty and the balance of the world power has literally reached critical mass.
How is it possible that this threat has fallen on deaf ears by every political party?
America has to make a choice and make it quickly, not in another six months when a new President is in place. Are we willing to cede victory to tyranny and live in a world dominated by evil and oppression? If we are to survive as a free society, we must make sure our resolve to stand against the advancement of global tyranny in this world is unshakable because this enemy is unrelenting. We must be willing to pursue this ruthless contender of evil, leaving no door unopened, no leaf unturned, no sacrifice too great, lest we abandon the vision of our Founders had when they launched their odyssey of freedom some 200 years ago.
If America is to remain the leader of the free world, and our leaders don't adhere to the letter of the rule of law, and we veer even one degree off of our resolve, in ten years, we will have strayed so far from Liberty's home and find ourselves encased in the winds of tyranny and oppression.
So the question remains, "What is the role of America in the world today?" The answer is easy. It has never changed since we were founded. America exists to triumph over tyranny. Period.
© Stanley Zir
July 22, 2016
"Where there is no vision, the people perish.' Proverbs 29:18
What can be worse than losing your personal identity? If you don't know who you are, then neither do you know for what you stand nor with whom. Now, imagine the same situation, but instead of an individual loss of identity, it is an entire nation and the loss is its collective identity. When that nation is America, the leader of the free world, then who will be left to keep the lamp of liberty lit while there are so many others determined to extinguish it?
This is exactly what happened to the citizens of the United States under Obama's watch. Americans have become the victims of identity theft, questioning who they are as a people and what is the mission of their great nation. Further, because of this uncertainty and confusion, their outlook for the future is bleak and uncertain.
As The Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said, "With so much at stake, the American people deserve a clear picture of what we believe. Personalities come and go, but principles endure. Ideas endure; ready to inspire generations yet to be born."
This month, both front runners will be holding their conventions to kick off their final campaigns for the November elections. Foremost on the American mind is our immediate security and safety at home and abroad. These candidates need to present a comprehensive strategy on combating rampant terrorism that is filling us with fear and desperation. The details between the candidates will no doubt be different, whether one prefers to deal with terrorists on the ground or by air or with collaboration from other nations. However the strategy, the basis for dealing with terrorists comes from one common source. As our Founding Father George Washington declared, "The Constitution is the guideline I will never abandon."
In November, the winner of this election will swear to protect the Constitution of the United States of America from both enemies foreign and domestic. Each new President not only is sworn to protect the nation, but he or she becomes the steward to carry on the same original mission as our very first President and all those that came afterwards. Contained within the Constitution is the definitive and iron-clad basis from which all decisions regarding policy stems. It is the DNA of our country. Imagine having the genetic code that, when signaled of an impending violation or threat, signals the cell to raise an impenetrable shield, eternally protecting it from any outside "virus" intending to destroy it.
That is our Constitution and the rule of law entrenched within which our our visionary Forefathers created to do exactly that, protect us from any threat, domestic or foreign bent on eliminating our rights and freedom, knowing that it would always be these unique rights that would be the target that riles our enemies.
Withstanding times of war and unrest, it is this rule of law that America will always stand with against powers that threaten us with tyranny. It is essential that all Americans, especially our elected officials, understand this very simple and basic concept. Our unwavering stand against tyranny in all forms is the safeguard of our freedom and remains our mission in the world.
While other free nations are extremely important and remain collaborators in this mission, America remains exceptional amongst them because of this rule of law. We keep hearing about the "rule of law" but it must be clarified because many people don't quite understand its meaning and its significance. It is the Constitution stance against absolute tyranny that is the Rule of Law and that makes us exceptional amongst the nations. It protects our freedoms from those who would use God's name, the state's or both to deny people all their inalienable rights. In her academic paper, Judge Eliza B. Yu wrote, "The rule of law can serve as a safeguard against tyranny, because just laws ensure that rulers do not become corrupt."
Our Presidents and leaders must use the Constitution as their sextant when navigating through the stormy seas of despots and tyrants whose intention is to destroy our freedoms and way of life. Without the Constitution as the primary guide, no matter how well-intentioned our leaders may be, the only possible result will be to veer off course and shipwrecked on the shores of tyranny whose rule of law is repression, oppression and inequality.
Our Founding Fathers had no tolerance for those who embraced tyranny because it is diametrically opposed to everything that makes America exceptional. In fact, is was their solid and united commitment to the "freedom from tyranny" which caused them to declare war against the British, in the first place. The rest is American History.
It is very clear and very simple. We are the defenders of liberty, not the negotiating partners for world peace with tyrants and fascists, who stand for dominance and absolute power.
We stand on the precipice of electing a new Commander and Chief in an era of growing global instability, yet there is still no unifying consensus of clarity in our foreign policy. Why is that? The guideline is right in front of us, the very document the new Commander swears to uphold.
Our Domestic policy is designed to keep us free from the forces of tyranny from within. Our foreign policy alerts nations around the globe that we treasure our freedoms and will fight to maintain them, standing strongly against those who challenge them on our soil or around the world. Therefore, our foreign policy must be clear, consistent and resolute, reflecting the Constitution's stance against tyranny, it's rule of law.
How can it be otherwise? Liberty and tyranny can not coexist. They are intolerant of each other. It may be the only two kinds of rules that are clearly black and white. You can't be a tyranny offering a little bit of liberty, nor can a free country have a smidgen of fascists in its leadership. One system sustains freedom and the other one clearly supports submission. One supports an open market of ideas, the other persecution for dissent. One achieves peace and unity through a democratic and constitutional balance of power, while the other disparages these virtues through absolute subjugation of the human spirit to the will of the most ruthless contender for power.
So, how could it not be more obvious that tyranny is the root cause of the global conflict we are now facing all around the globe? Tyrannies have but one objective, which is world domination. The loss of people's freedom is written into their constitutions that place absolute power of the state over any individual right (or dignity) in order to serve some "greater good." That is their rule of law. Again to point out, in total opposition to our Constitution which holds individual rights above all and as our Declaration of Independence further defines those rights as life, liberty and happiness.
To the naysayers who contend that it is not America's job to be the world's top cop, or that the Founding Fathers had no intention for America to be the defender of the free world, I say ponder this. It was not just any Republic that they created, but one that honored the individual's right to defend themselves from state-issued tyranny and, with that, the conflict was set in motion between our new nation and those that embraced totalitarian systems of oppression.
Our history has validated this notion and with it, our nation's destiny. A nation whose documents of freedom were incompatible with slavery purged itself of this evil in the Civil War. In the twentieth century, we were repeatedly drawn into the world's great conflicts in order to defend liberty, and America answered the call.
The malfunction of tyrannies in Germany and Japan and the collapse of the Soviet Union were characterized by economies that replaced competition and free exchange with confiscation and redistribution, which resulted in the destruction of wealth. The underlying ideologies, achieving their goal through the sacrifice of individual expression were fully exposed with their defeat in the war on democracy as the world moved towards greater transparency.
Is it not an unfathomable achievement that after centuries of tyranny, since the birth of our nation, 123 electoral democracies arose in so short a span of time? That means 58.2% of the world's population in 123 of the 192 existing countries in the world, now embrace democracy.
Who dares shun our nation's noble cause? Who dares cede victory to those who would destroy us and deny us our freedoms? There are those who say America's foreign policy should not be one of nation-building I respectively disagree If those if those who are determined to replace our Democratic Constitutional Republic with their own brand of nation-building, called Islamic and secular tyranny, why are our own leaders not more determined to permanently put out of business those nations whose constitutions honor the subjugation of the human spirit?
Last we have been falsely led to believe we don't have the money and resources to fight against our enemies. We have been told that we must first get our financial house in order, strengthen our infrastructures and then we can act as the leader of the free world. Or better – we should wait for our next President to take office in another six months. Really? Do you think Iran is holding off on any "foreign" actions, especially ones that would seal the fate of our Democratic ally, Israel or any free nation around the world, waiting for some future, more convenient date? Maybe we should just tell them, "Listen Mr. Mullah, we are having a little financial problem here on the homefront. We are a little strapped for cash right now and have shifted our priority for the time being to building our economy and job networks. As soon as we get some of this under control, we'll get back into the swing of things. So would you mind just holding off on the whole nuclear weapon things, for a little while?
Sure, negotiating with terrorists always works out just fine! What do we want our legacy to be?.Spreading liberty and ending tyranny in this world was no longer financially feasible. Balderdash it is our mission and must be our very first priority. The threat of nuclear jihad is very real and we are seeing it evolve to greater heights almost on a daily basis.
The formula for prosperity for our nation has remained constant through the best and worst of times. The only thing that makes our dollar the universal currency is perception. It is the world's belief that America's unyielding stance against fascism at home and abroad has kept the free markets and the entrepreneurial spirit alive. It is that, and that alone, which makes our dollar strong under any circumstances.
It is also why we must protect America from the assault of those who falsely claim we cannot afford to actively confront fascism when it rears its ugly head. The ramifications of this misstep would be devastating.
When we compromise our core values, we would be overrun by the demands of tyrannies and fascists, which will then finish us financially no matter what steps we take to address the debt issue. Having the courage to stand against the absolute power of tyranny is the shortest route to free our nation from Iran's oil strangle-hold and get America out from under the debt created by Obama's domestic policies.
If our politicians can no longer articulate what America stands for, then we have to ask, why were they elected? If they no longer believe that America's stance against global tyranny is her most important mandate, then why take an oath to uphold the Constitution? What hope do the American people have to make America great again, and even more, exceptional among the nations?
In every war there comes a tipping point that determines the eventual outcome of the conflict. For America, in our global war against terrorism, this moment has arrived. We only have to turn on our TV each day to see the aggression of fanatical Islam coming closer and closer. We can stick our heads in the sand, but that won't stop the fact that Iran is securing deadly nuclear power and will very shortly become an established (and irreversible) nuclear armed state. It is within reach and the survival of our liberty and the balance of the world power has literally reached critical mass.
How is it possible that this threat has fallen on deaf ears by every political party?
America has to make a choice and make it quickly, not in another six months when a new President is in place. Are we willing to cede victory to tyranny and live in a world dominated by evil and oppression? If we are to survive as a free society, we must make sure our resolve to stand against the advancement of global tyranny in this world is unshakable because this enemy is unrelenting. We must be willing to pursue this ruthless contender of evil, leaving no door unopened, no leaf unturned, no sacrifice too great, lest we abandon the vision of our Founders had when they launched their odyssey of freedom some 200 years ago.
If America is to remain the leader of the free world, and our leaders don't adhere to the letter of the rule of law, and we veer even one degree off of our resolve, in ten years, we will have strayed so far from Liberty's home and find ourselves encased in the winds of tyranny and oppression.
So the question remains, "What is the role of America in the world today?" The answer is easy. It has never changed since we were founded. America exists to triumph over tyranny. Period.
© Stanley Zir
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
